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The annual APPAM Convention is a gathering of accomplished scholars, practitioners, and students with a goal of disseminating and cross-pollinating cutting-edge research in relevant public policy topics. If you are interested in learning about and presenting your research on public policy topics, it is a must-go conference. Count me in!

2017 Fall Research Conference Special Events

Wednesday

Organized by The Scholars Strategy Network (SSN), in partnership with the William T. Grant Foundation, this year’s pre-conference workshop with be an intensive, interactive program to provide researchers and data scientists the opportunity to learn best practices for developing reciprocal relationships with civic intermediaries and policymakers. In the pursuit of its mission to bridge the gap between universities and the policy process, the network has identified the knowledge and skills researchers need to more effectively use their expertise in the policy realm. The centerpiece is an approach that emphasizes relationships and research-practice partnerships between academics and practitioners, rather than the traditional model of one-way information dissemination.

This training aims to provide concrete tools to empower researchers to foster long-term, reciprocal relationships with policymakers. These relationships -- which are most formally organized as research-practice partnerships, but can take many other forms -- have the potential to address policy crises and opportunities when they arise, as well as to promote policy improvement over the long-run. Skills taught in the training include: how to develop ongoing, reciprocal, trusting relationships with policymakers and civic intermediaries; how to assess policymakers’ resources, needs, and opportunities; the timing of the policy-making process; how to make effective use of intermediary groups; how interaction with policymakers can help researchers determine better research questions; and how ongoing policy engagement can be a part of researchers’ academic success.

Newcomer Meet Up

Wednesday, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

APPAM welcomes conference participants who are both new APPAM members and first-time conference attendees. Join us for cocktails, get to know other newcomers and meet the APPAM Policy Council. This is a great opportunity to network and learn more about APPAM activities and how to make the most of your first time at the Fall Conference. Invitations will be sent out in the coming weeks to all new members and first time attendees. The reception will be held in the Comiskey Room at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Thursday

PhD Program Directors Meeting

Thursday, 8:30 am - 10:00 am

Please join us for the 2nd policy PhD Program Directors meeting to take place during the 2017 Fall Research Conference. This meeting will provide an opportunity to connect with others in the field who are facing similar challenges to identify and discuss helpful solutions to some of today's most pressing challenges as a program director.

All attendees are welcome at the meeting; however discussion will focus on the topics such as comprehensive and qualifying exam formats, required/core courses, professional development opportunities & recruitment, and how to better prepare PhD students for the academic job market.

Join your peers for lunch while you enjoy the research of Thursday's poster presenters. The event will be held in the Regency Ballroom of Hyatt Regency Chicago.

All attendees are welcome to browse the posters but a ticket must be purchased to have lunch. Poster presenters who would like to have lunch must also purchase a ticket. Tickets may be purchased through the registration process. Tickets are $19 for all attendees.

Concurrent Symposium: The Report on the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking

Thursday, 5:15 pm - 6:45 pm

Couldn't make it? Watch the symposium recording! If you registered ahead of time, simply enter your email to access the recording. If not, fill out the registration form and you will be emailed an access link. Confirm your email via that link to be redirected to the recording.

President Obama and Congress created the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking in 2016. Among other responsibilities, the Commission was charged with conducting a comprehensive inventory of federal administrative and survey data and with determining how federal data could be integrated and made available to facilitate program evaluation and research. The Commission was also required to determine both whether a clearinghouse of federal data should be established and to propose ideas about how to enhance data security and individual privacy. This symposium, featuring the two co-chairs of the Commission, will review the Commission’s findings and recommendations and assess the likely impact of the recommendations on access to and security of data used by researchers.

Concurrent Symposium: The Vital Role of Government Statistics

Thursday, 5:15 pm - 6:45 pm

Couldn't make it? Watch the symposium recording! If you registered ahead of time, simply enter your email to access the recording. If not, fill out the registration form and you will be emailed an access link. Confirm your email via that link to be redirected to the recording.

Public policy decisions must be informed with reliable data and information, much of which is collected and published by federal agencies. Recently, there has been increased criticism of the federal indicators that measure the economy and social conditions in the U.S. This distinguished panel will respond to the recent joint report by the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute, In Order That They Might Rest Their Arguments on Facts: The Vital Role of Government-Collected Data. The panel will focus on the important data and measures that we use every day and look to the future of federal statistics to suggest how the government can provide better data for better policy decisions.

Welcome Reception

Thursday, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Join us at the Chicago Cultural Center, just a few blocks from the conference hotel, for the Welcome Reception. The Cultural Center is housed in what was Chicago’s first central public library and is one of the most visited attractions in the city. Attendees are invited to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, a band and the beautiful architecture – including the largest Tiffany Dome in the world at 38 feet in diameter and some 30,000 pieces of glass.

Friday

Poster Session

Friday, 10:00 am - 11:30 am

All attendees are welcome to browse the posters.

Membership Luncheon

Friday, 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm

Join your fellow members for the annual APPAM membership meeting. An overview of what has been going on at APPAM, a presentation of the slate of candidates for the APPAM Policy Council and a discussion of the future of APPAM will be presented. The PhD Dissertation Award and the Raymond Vernon Memorial Award will be given at this luncheon.

If you only want to attend the membership meeting portion of this event, and not the lunch portion, a ticket is not required. However, if you would like to have lunch, a ticket is required.

Tickets may be purchased during the registration process and onsite at the Registration Desk. Tickets are $38 for all attendees.

PhD Program Fair

Friday, 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm

The PhD Program Fair is a great opportunity for individuals interested in a PhD degree to make connections with institutions offering PhD programs. Select APPAM Institutional Members who offer a PhD program will be onsite to discuss the benefits of their programs with the registered attendees.

While this event is free to attend, tickets for this event must be reserved through the registration process. The 2017 PhD Program Fair is open only to students not currently enrolled in a PhD program and professionals who do not hold a PhD.

Participating Programs:

American University – School of Public Affairs

Brandeis University – The Heller School for Social Policy and Management

Claremont Graduate University

George Washington University – Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration

Georgia Institute of Technology – School of Public Policy

Georgia State University – Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Maastricht University/ UNU-MERIT

Pardee RAND Graduate School

Syracuse University – Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

University at Albany – Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy

University of Central Florida

University of Massachusetts – Boston

University of Minnesota – Humphrey School of Public Affairs

University of Missouri – Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs

University of Washington – Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance

University of North Carolina – Charlotte

University of Texas – Dallas

Virginia Commonwealth University – L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

Spencer Foundation Award Winner Panel
Education and Economic Mobility: What Have We Learned?

Friday, 3:15 pm - 4:45 pm

Susan Dynarski, University of Michigan, 2017 Spencer Foundation Award winner, will deliver a short talk and will be followed by reactions from Lashawn Richburg-Hayes, Insight Policy Research and Judith Scott-Clayton, Columbia University.

Presidential Address & APPAM Awards

Friday, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

In a new format for 2017, the Friday evening address will feature both the ceremony for the Spencer Foundation Award and the Steven D. Gold Award, as well as the Presidential Address delivered by APPAM President Carolyn Heinrich. This event will be held in Crystal B in the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Carolyn Heinrich's address is entitled A Thousand Petty Fortresses: Administrative Burden in U.S. Immigration Policies and its Consequences.

Burgeoning state legislative and policy actions on immigration have heightened conflict with federal law, and in turn, exacerbated administrative burden in immigration policy enactment and enforcement, leading to serious, adverse consequences for the well-being of children of immigrants and their families, as well as for the transparency, fairness and effectiveness of public administration.

Spencer Foundation Reception

Friday, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Immediately following the Presidential Address & Awards, all conference attendees are invited to join their peers at the Spencer Foundation Reception located in Crystal A/C of the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cocktails will be served as we celebrate all the award winners and the APPAM President at this special reception.

Student Mixer

Friday, 7:45 pm – 9:15 pm

Students and recent graduates are encouraged to attend the annual APPAM Student Mixer. The event will be an informal opportunity to network and collaborate with other student attendees. Wine, beer, and hors d'oeuvres will be provided.

Saturday

Caucus Breakfast

Saturday, 7:15 am - 8:15 am

These informal discussions center on an emerging policy or management topic and are led by a moderator. Focusing around evolving research topics, participants are encouraged to provide feedback, questions, and discourse. A light breakfast will be provided for all caucus speakers and attendees.

Poster Luncheon

Saturday, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

This poster luncheon is free to all conference attendees, but a ticket will be required to pick up a lunch. Tickets, which will be limited, can be obtained from any of the presenting authors during the session.

This luncheon will be held in the Regency Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Chicago.